Country

Thursday, December 30, 2010

St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City is incredibly beautiful and stands majestically amongst the tall skyscrapers. It was hard to get a decent shot of the exterior due to renovations currently underway.

This one was taken at night. The streets were packed with tourists and last minute shoppers, as well as those rushing in to attend mass.

The ceilings are incredibly tall and have the same architectural style as St. Thomas church posted yesterday.

We were only allowed to take photos from the side aisles as mass was about to begin. These pictures do not do it justice - it is truly a beautiful sight!

The manger scene was incredible. Baby Jesus was not in the manger. I am assuming he would have been placed there on Christmas Eve.

Candle stations were placed throughout the side halls and entrances. We lit a candle in memory of several loved ones. My husband's two older aunts were devout catholics and would have been thrilled to have been able to visit this cathedral. We miss them very much.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve - what are your plans? We will be sitting by the fire enjoying a glass of wine, good food and later shooting fireworks with our neighbors.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

While visiting New York City last week, we toured St. Thomas Church. I am a little bummed that the pics did not come out exactly as I wanted, but I am on a learning curve with the new camera (and photography).

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

I shared this barn some time back, but wanted to show you how it looked in the snow and from the other side. This barn is located adjacent to one of our local city parks. I wanted to get some shots of the snow, but by that time it was mostly melted. However, as I was leaving the snow started back up and we got another 1/4 inch. By that time it was getting dark and windy - time to sit by the fire!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

I am soooo happy that we got snow today!! It was an inch or less that accumulated, but nonetheless very exciting for us Southern folks that do not get to see it very often. My youngest is still outside playing with his buddy and does not want to give it up - even though he is probably close to becoming a popsicle right about now.

This dried flower looked like it was wearing an ice crown. I hope to get out in the morning and find some more icy macro shots.

For more great macros, but sure to visit Lisa. Its a fun way to start the week!

Monday, December 13, 2010

This new flower seems to be reaching towards the camera. The new petals look like long, slim fingers to me!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was awesome since my hubby surprised me with my Christmas gift early! I finally am the owner of a DSLR camera! After much debate and talking with many different camera owners, I decided on the Canon EOS 60D. I am very excited!!

And, to top off a great weekend we got snow flurries last night. They were tiny in size and did not last long, but hey - snow is snow here in the South!

Friday, December 10, 2010

The song "Mustang Sally" is running through my head right about now. It is a classic by Wilson Pickett that many Southern folks like to shag (its a dance) to.

I snapped this over Thanksgiving. My brother-in-law is a Ford sports car collector and has a few classics. When the weather warms a bit again we are going to do a shoot of his cars and I cannot wait to share them with you!

Thank you so much for your kind comments - Thursday was a blah day for some reason.

Happy Friday - I am off to do some Christmas shopping with the best daughter in the world!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Today I feel so overwhelmed! I know its just this time of year and I will get through it and everything will be fine. But gosh, some days I feel like crawling back into bed and just staying put all day long!

I was too lazy to edit the photos that I wanted to post today - so you ended up with this textured rose. The texture is from Shadowhouse Creations. He has some awesome free textures and you can visit his blog by clicking here.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

This house is owned by my brother-in-law and is near 100 years old. It has electricity but no indoor plumbing. It is rented to a gentleman who lives there by himself. The main source of heat is the fireplace, but hopefully he has a second heat source as well.

The blue tarp on the porch caught my eye. It looks like the wood is rotten in spots. I also love the old bench car seat that serves as a place to sit and watch the world go by.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

This is one of several tractors that my brother-in-law has. He is a farmer and works so hard. I never really knew how hard these men and women worked and I am very appreciative of their efforts.

I am still messing around with textures and this photo was a little over-exposed so I added a couple of textures to try and compensate for that. Please be sure to visit here for more great mid-week blues!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I found this old lean-to/shelter next to a cow pasture while visitng my sister-in-law on Thanksgiving. I walked the fields and really enjoyed the wide open spaces and all of the neat "old" stuff that was nearby.

It sat under a tree and looked like it had not been used in some time. I love the pond in the background and the remaining foliage on the trees. I added a texture and love the way it turned out!

Be sure to visit Tricia for more great barns; it is so much fun to see what others have found!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

I hope all of my blogging friends here in the U.S. had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! We sure did and I am so very thankful for my family and friends, and all that God has blessed us with. Now that we have gotten through Thanksgiving holiday - it is about that time....

This is a SOOC (please visit there for more great SOOC pics) shot of some our ornaments from the tree last year and tomorrow we will get our tree for this Christmas season. I love the way a Fraser Fir Christmas tree smells; so fragant and festive!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

We were at a local park, and I could not resist these two blue canoes sitting on the bank. They made a great subject along with the gorgeous reflections in the water.

This is my Midweek Blues submission. Be sure to stop by to see other great "blues."

I will be super busy tomorrow getting ready for our Thanksgiving holiday. We going to visit with my sister-in-law and her husband and I hope to bring back lots of rural "Southern" shots to share with you!

I wish all of you here in the United States a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving holiday, and my other friends a peaceful and happy day as well! Let's all remember to take time out (no matter where we live) to appreciate our family, friends, loved ones and all that we have been given, and to remember those who are in need.

Monday, November 22, 2010

These stables have been such a big part of my life. Growing up we played in them; hide and seek, made them our clubhouses, and whatever else tickled our fancy while the horses or donkey were out. I can remember my grandfather milking the cow in those stables and drinking the warm milk from a cup fresh out of the stainless steel bucket when he brought it in the house. There is nothing better than warm milk on a cold morning in a house heated only by a wood stove!

These stables are still standing and are in good shape. My daddy is unsure of their age, but he is in his mid 60s and they have been there since he was a child.

I added a texture just for kicks. I like "old" things better with added texture. That is, unless you are shooting HDR and my camera is not equipped for that. Hopefully Santa will bring me a new one! For a great HDRshot of these stables, please check out my friend and mentor Steve's blog. He has a wide-angled lens and got the barns in the shot too. His photos are PHENOMENAL! **SIGH** He and his wife are such great people and I am so lucky to have them in my life!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Karen over at What Karen Sees is trying something new and I agreed to post a pic of my fall mantle on Friday, but have been slack this weekend and am just getting it posted.

You can post any favorite pic - I just chose the mantle because it is also SOOC and I have not posted there today. I did my laundry but not much cleaning - too busy with basketball games, early Thanksgiving gatherings, etc. There is always stuff to be done around the house, but none of it is nearly as much fun as blogging with my friends!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

My friend and mentor Steve taught me this technique. Set your f stop to 22 and focus on the sun through a tree branch or other object. The result is a really neat burst of sunlight! Please check out his blog and flickr page - you will not be disappointed!

Pretty cool, huh? The blue sky was really vivid, so I am using this as my Midweek Blues submission.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

I snapped this cotton bloom a few months ago in the early morning. The sun was just coming up and I caught some great bokeh in the background - a very nice surprise when I pulled it up on the computer!

This is SOOC other than a little bit of a crop. Go visit Jan for more great SOOC shots at Murrieta 365.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I posted this dragonfly last week in black and white. This is the color version with another Kim Klassen texture (lyrical) added. I love her textures!!

I like it equally well in black and white, as well as in color. I love the beautiful blue color of its body.

Its Wednesday and time for midweek blues so be sure to stop by and check it out! I hope you all are having a great week. The weather is warm here - 78 degrees today. I hope to find some time to get out with my camera, even its just in my backyard.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

This barn stands tucked back amongst some trees and has overgrown bushes in front of it. It overlooks a beautiful cotton field in full bloom.

This barn belongs to my son-in-law's family and part of it is still in use. I plan to go back and take some more pictures of the barn and cotton field. Hopefully some of the overgrown stuff will be gone if my sweet son-in-law will take it down for me!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

I was so focused on catching the "raindrop" from the daisy petal that I did not notice the "reflection" in the raindrop until I pulled it up on my computer. Funny how life can be that way - we are so focused on certain aspects of life that we miss the beautiful details.

This is a great time of year for reflection - looking at our lives and being thankful for all that we have been given and remembering those who are less fortunate; as well as assessing where "we" are and where "we" want to be and what it will take to get there!

Happy Monday folks! Please visit Lisa for Macro Monday - such a fun way to start the week!